How to Install Windows in Qubes 4.1?

apparatus · December 3, 2023, 6:49pm

You need to install Qubes Windows Tools for this to work:

Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/ff7a484164d9b7aa10e22bd945d10177624b7efb/docs/os/windows/windows-tools41.md

Qubes Windows Tools
===================

Qubes Windows Tools (QWT) are a set of programs and drivers that provide integration of Windows 7, 8.1, 10 and 11 Standalone, TemplateVMs and AppVMs with the rest of the Qubes system. They contain several components than can be enabled or disabled during installation:

- **Shared components (required)** - common libraries used by QWT components
- **Qubes Core Agent** - qrexec agent and services. Needed for proper integration with Qubes
- **Qubes GUI Agent** - video driver and GUI agent that enable the seamless GUI mode that integrates windows apps onto the common Qubes trusted desktop (currently only for Windows 7)
- **Disable UAC** - User Account Control may interfere with QWT and doesn't really provide any additional benefits in Qubes environment
- **Clipboard sender/receiver** - Support for [secure clipboard copy/paste](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/copy-paste/) between the Windows VM and other AppVMs
- **File sender/receiver** - Support for [secure file exchange](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/copying-files/) between the Windows VM and other AppVMs
- **Copy/Edit in Disposable VM** - Support for editing files in DisposableVMs as well as for `qvm-run` and generic `qrexec` for the Windows VM (e.g. ability to run custom service within/from the Windows VM)
- **Audio** - Audio support requires R4.1 and is available even without QWT installation if `qvm-features audio-model` is set as `ich6`
- **Xen PV drivers** - drivers for the virtual hardware exposed by Xen for Windows that increase performance compared to QEMU emulated devices and are required for attaching USB devices
   - Base Xen PV Drivers (required): paravirtual bus and interface drivers
   - Xen PV Disk Drivers: paravirtual storage drivers
   - Xen PV Network Drivers: paravirtual network drivers
   - Move user profiles: user profile directory (`C:\users`) is moved to VM's private disk backed by `private.img file` in `dom0` (useful mainly for HVM templates).
	> **Note**: If you choose to move profiles, drive letter Q: must be assigned to the secondary (private) disk.

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But there is a problem with QWT right now:

It’s possible:

github.com

Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/eccd79871ef58b3dfa7defee5bfcf68f46685b40/docs/os/windows/windows-vm41.md#windows-as-templatevm

Installing a Windows VM
=======================

You can install Windows just like any other OS as an [HVM](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/hvm/), if you just want something simple and you can live without some features. This works for Windows XP, 7, 8.1, 10 and 11.

Please keep in mind that Qubes Windows Tools are not supported on Windows XP.

You will get an environment in which basic functions are supported, but integration into the Qubes environment is rather restricted. The following functions will work right out of the box:

- display (1440x900 or 1280x1024 are a nice fit onto FHD hw display)
- keyboard (incl. correct mapping), pointing device
- network (emulated Realtek NIC)
- audio output and input (available even without QWT installation if `qvm-features audio-model` is set as `ich6`)

For better integration, a set of drivers and services, called Qubes Windows Tools (QWT) is available. Installation of these tools is straightforward and is described in a [separate document](https://github.com/Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/master/docs/os/windows/windows-tools41.md). QWT’s main features are:

- copy/paste between qubes
- copy files between qubes
- attaching USB devices to the qube
- attaching block devices to the qube (XEN PV disk driver must be installed)

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